Our Time Is Brief

LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

Remind me that my days are numbered—

how fleeting my life is.

You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.

My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;

at best, each of us is but a breath.

We are merely moving shadows,

and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.

We heap up wealth,

not knowing who will spend it.

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?

My only hope is in you.

Psalm 39:4-7

We all know people who are married to their job, not their spouse. They spend hour after hour at work, and their bosses certainly reward them for it. They accumulate big bank accounts, but their obsession with work leaves them emotionally and spiritually bankrupt. This passage comments on how foolish it is to waste one’s efforts on gaining material wealth that soon will pass away. In this prayer, David saw that his time on earth was brief. “We are merely moving shadows,” he said, “and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.” So what are we to do? In what or in whom should we put our hope? David gives us the answer: “And so, Lord . . . my only hope is in you.”

Today in prayer, place your hope in God alone.

• Dear Lord, help me place my hope in you . . .